SANTA MONICA, Ca. -- "The Artist," a nearly silent film, made most of the noise here Saturday at the Independent Sprit Awards, wining for best picture, best actor, best director and its cinematography. It was the latest in a series of good omens for the surprise hit, which seems headed for victory at the Academy Awards on Sunday night.

"I realize that most of the turning points in my career were brought
about by others. My life has largely happened to me without any
conscious plan. I was an indifferent student except at subjects that
interested me, and those I followed beyond the classroom, stealing time
from others I should have been studying. I was no good at math beyond
algebra. I flunked French four times in college. I had no patience for
memorization, but I could easily remember words I responded to. In
college a chart of my grades resembled a mountain range. My first real
newspaper job came when my best friend's father hired me to cover high
school sports for the local daily. In college a friend told me I must
join him in publishing an alternative weekly and then left it in my
hands. That led to the Daily Illini, and that in turn led to the
Chicago Sun-Times, where I have worked ever since 1966. I became the
movie critic six months later through no premeditation, when the job was
offered to me out of a clear blue sky."Visit "I was born inside the movie of my life" to read the opening pages from Roger's forthcoming memoir to be published September 13, 2011.